Orion ED EQ User's Manual
Contents
1. s viewfinder The camera s shutter is now ready to be opened A remote shut ter release must be used or the image will be blurred beyond recognition Try exposure times between 1 and 10 seconds depending upon the brightness of the planet to be photo graphed and the ISO of the film being used Piggyback Photography The Moon and planets are interesting targets for the bud ding astrophotographer but what next Literally thousands of deep sky objects can be captured on film with a type of astro photography called piggybacking The basic idea is that the camera with its own camera lens attached rides on top of the main telescope The telescope and camera both move with the rotation of the Earth when the mount is polar aligned and the motor drive is engaged This allows for a long exposure through the camera without having the object or background stars blurred In addition to the motor drive dual axis an illuminated reticle eyepiece is also needed The T ring and camera adapter are not needed since the camera is expos ing through its own lens Any camera lens with a focal length between 35mm and 400mm is appropriate On the top of one of the tube rings is a piggyback camera adapter This is the black knob with the threaded shaft pro truding through it The tube ring with the piggyback adapter should be closest to the front end of the telescope tube Remove the tube rings from the equatorial mount and swap their position2. List are present Be sure to check each box carefully as some parts are small If anything appears to be missing or broken immediate ly call Orion Customer Support 800 676 1343 or email support telescope com for assistance 2 Parts List Qty Description Tripod Equatorial mount Tripod support tray Central support shaft attached to tripod Tube ring mounting plate Tube rings with mounting screws Counterweight shaft Counterweight Slow motion control knobs R A axis rear cover Latitude adjustment L bolts Optical tube assembly 25mm Sirius Plossl eyepiece 1 25 barrel diameter 10mm Sirius Plossl eyepiece 1 25 barrel diameter 2 Star diagonal with 1 25 adapter Finder scope Finder scope bracket with O ring Dust cover attached to optical tube Camera adapter attached to optical tube ee a a a a DS a a nal D mll a eo Small crescent wrench 3 Assembly Assembling the telescope for the first time should take about 30 minutes No tools are needed other than the provided cres cent wrench All screws should be tightened securely but be careful not to over tighten or the threads may strip Refer to Figure 1 during the assembly process During assembly and anytime for that matter do not touch the surfaces of the lenses of the telescope finder scope or eyepieces with your fingers The optical surfaces have delicate coatings on them that can easily be damaged if touched inap propriately Neve
3. choosing bright objects to view The brightness of an object is measured by its visual magnitude the brighter an object the lower its magnitude Choose an object with a visual magnitude of 9 or lower Many beginners start with the Messier objects which represent some of the best and bright HTO fie ANDROMEDA Great Andromeda Galaxy MT 9110 4 6 he 3 Pinwheel Galaxy M33 Figure 16 Starhopping is a good way to locate hard to find objects Refer to a star chart to map a route to the object that uses bright stars as guideposts Center the first star you ve chosen in the finder scope and telescope eyepiece 1 Now move the scope carefully in the direction of the next bright star 2 until it is centered Repeat 3 and 4 The last hop 5 should place the desired object in the eyepiece est deep sky objects These were first catalogued about 200 years ago by the French astronomer Charles Messier Determine in which constellation the object lies Now find the constellation in the sky If you do not recognize the constella tions on sight consult a planisphere The planisphere gives an all sky view and shows which constellations are visible on a given night at a given time Now look at your star chart and find the brightest star in the constellation that is near the object you are trying to find Using the finder scope point the telescope at this star and center it on the crosshairs Next look again at the sta
4. equilibri um to achieve peak performance When moved from a warm indoor location to cooler outdoor air or vice versa a tele scope needs time to acclimate to the outdoor temperature The bigger the instrument and the larger the temperature change the more time will be needed Allow at least 30 minutes for your SkyView Pro 100mm ED EQ to acclimate If the scope has more than a 40 tempera ture change allow an hour or more In the winter storing the telescope outdoors in a shed or garage greatly reduces the amount of time needed for the optics to reach thermal equi librium It also is a good idea to keep the scope covered until the Sun sets so the tube does not heat greatly above the tem perature of the outside air Let Your Eyes Dark Adapt Do not expect to go from a lighted house into the darkness of the outdoors at night and immediately see faint nebulas galaxies and star clusters or even very many stars for that matter Your eyes take about 30 minutes to reach perhaps 80 of their full dark adapted sensitivity Many observers notice improvements after several hours of total darkness As your eyes become dark adapted more stars will glimmer into view and you will be able to see fainter details in objects you view in your telescope Exposing your eyes to very bright day light for extended periods of time can adversely affect your night vision for days So give yourself at least a little while to get used to the dark before
5. find Polaris in the sky look north and locate the pattern of the Big Dipper Figure 9 The two stars at the end of the bowl of the Big Dipper point right to Polaris Observers in the Southern Hemisphere aren t so fortunate to have a bright star so near the south celestial pole SCP The star Sigma Octantis lies about 1 from the SCP but it is barely visible with the naked eye magnitude 5 5 For general visual observation an approximate polar align ment is sufficient 1 Level the equatorial mount by adjusting the length of the three tripod legs 2 There are two latitude adjustment L bolts see Figure 8 loosen one while tightening the other By doing this you will adjust the latitude of the mount Continue adjusting the mount until the pointer on the latitude scale is set at the lati tude of your observing site If you don t know your latitude consult a geographical atlas to find it For example if your latitude is 35 North set the pointer to 35 The latitude set ting should not have to be adjusted again unless you move to a different viewing location some distance away Azimuth adjustment knobs Nee 4 Figure 10 For polar alignment position the tripod so that the N label at the base of the mount faces north The azimuth fine adjustment knobs above it are used to make small adjustments to the mount s azimuth position Be certain to loosen the tripod attachment knob on the central support shaf
6. leap into the world of amateur astronomy This section is intended to get you ready for your voyages through the night sky Site Selection Pick a location away from street lights and bright yard light ing Avoid viewing over rooftops and chimneys as they often 12 have warm air currents rising from them which distort the image seen in the eyepiece Similarly you should not observe through an open or closed window from indoors Better yet choose a site out of town away from any light pollution You ll be stunned at how many more stars you ll see Most importantly make sure that any chosen site has a clear view of a large portion of the sky Seeing and Transparency Atmospheric conditions play a huge part in quality of view ing In conditions of good seeing star twinkling is minimal and objects appear steady in the eyepiece Seeing is best overhead worst at the horizon Also seeing generally gets better after midnight when much of the heat absorbed by the Earth during the day has radiated off into space Typically seeing conditions will be better at sites that have an altitude over about 3000 feet Altitude helps because it decreases the amount of distortion causing atmosphere you are looking through A good way to judge if the seeing is good or not is to look at bright stars about 40 above the horizon If the stars appear to twinkle the atmosphere is significantly distorting the incom ing light and
7. lock lever Make sure the Dec lock lever is locked for now The telescope should now be able to rotate freely about the right ascension axis Rotate it until the counter weight shaft is parallel to the ground i e horizontal 2 Now loosen the counterweight lock knob and slide the weight along the shaft until it exactly counterbalances the telescope Figure 6a That s the point at which the shaft remains horizontal even when you let go with both hands Figure 6b a With the R A lock lever released slide the counterweight along the counterweight shaft until it just counterbalances the tube b When you let go with both hands the tube should not drift up or down c With the Dec lock lever released loosen the tube ring lock clamps a few turns and slide the telescope forward or back in the tube rings d When the tube is balanced about the Dec axis it will not move when you let go 3 Retighten the counterweight lock knob The telescope is now balanced on the right ascension axis 4 To balance the telescope on the declination axis first tighten the R A lock lever with the counterweight shaft still in the horizontal position 5 With one hand on the telescope optical tube loosen the Dec lock lever The telescope should now be able to rotate freely about the Dec axis Loosen the tube ring clamps a few turns until you can slide the telescope tube forward and back inside the rings This can be aided by using a slig
8. make any further adjustments in the azimuth or the latitude of the mount nor should you move the tripod Doing so will undo the polar alignment The telescope should be moved only about its right ascension and declination axes Additional Note Regarding Focusing the Polar Axis Finder Scope The polar axis finder scope is normally focused by simply rotating the eyepiece focus ring However if after adjusting the focus ring you find that the image of the reticle is sharp but the stars are out of focus then you must adjust the focus of the polar axis finder s objective lens To do this first remove the polar axis finder from the mount Look through the polar axis finder at a star at night or distant object at least 1 4 mile away during daylight Use the eyepiece focus ring to bring the reticle into sharp focus Now loosen the focus lock ring Figure 11a and thread the entire objective end of the finder inwards or outwards until images appear sharp Re tighten the focus lock ring Once the polar axis finder s objective lens is focused it should not need to be adjusted again Use of the Right Ascension and Declination Slow Motion Control Knobs The right ascension R A and declination Dec slow motion control knobs allow fine adjustment of the telescope s posi tion to center objects within the field of view Before you can use the knobs you must manually slew the mount to point the telescope in the vicinity of the de
9. markings can be seen on Venus which is always shrouded in dense clouds MARS The Red Planet makes a close approach to Earth every two years Observing Mars is most favorable at these times With good conditions you may see a salmon colored disk with some distinct dark patches and you might be able to spot a whitish polar ice cap To see surface detail on Mars you will need a high power eyepiece and very steady air D The Stars Stars will appear as tiny points of light Even the largest tele scopes cannot magnify stars to appear as anything more than pinpoints You can however enjoy the different colors of the stars and locate many pretty double and multiple stars The famous Double Double in the constellation Lyra and the gor geous two color double star Albireo in Cygnus are favorites Defocusing a star slightly can help bring out its color E Deep Sky Objects Under dark skies you can observe a wealth of fascinating deep sky objects that is objects that reside outside of our solar system These include gaseous nebulas open and globular star clusters and a variety of different types of galax ies For deep sky observing it is important that you find an observing site well away from light pollution Take plenty of time to let your eyes adjust to the darkness As you become more experienced and your observing skills get sharper you will be able to ferret out more and more subile details and structure from these fascinati
10. moon may look like a tempting target it is not optimal for viewing The light is too bright and surface definition is low Even at partial phases the Moon is very bright Use of an optional Moon filter to helps to dim the view It simply threads onto the bottom of the eyepiece You ll find the Moon filter improves viewing comfort and helps bring out the subtle fea tures of the lunar surface B The Sun You can change your nighttime telescope into a daytime Sun viewer by installing an optional full aperture solar filter over the front opening of the telescope The primary attraction is sunspots which change shape appearance and location daily Sunspots are directly related to magnetic activity in the Sun Many observers like to make drawings of sunspots to monitor how the Sun is changing from day to day Important Note Do not look at the Sun with any optical instrument without a professionally made solar filter or permanent eye damage could result Also be sure to cover the finder scope or better yet remove it altogether C The Planets The planets don t stay put like the stars so to find them you should refer to Sky Calendar at our web site telescope com or to charts published monthly in Astronomy Sky amp Telescope or other astronomy magazines Venus Mars Jupiter and Saturn are the brightest objects in the sky after the Sun and the Moon Your SkyView Pro 100mm ED EQ is capable of showing you these planets in deta
11. objective lens cell in or out of the finder scope body Precise focusing will be achieved by focusing the finder scope on a bright star Once the image appears sharp retighten the lock ring behind the objective lens cell The finder scope s focus should not need to be adjusted again Magnification amp Eyepieces Magnification or power is determined by the focal length of the telescope and the focal length of the eyepiece Therefore by using eyepieces of different focal lengths the resultant magnification can be varied Magnification is calculated as follows Telescope Focal Length mm Eyepiece Focal Length mm Magnification The SkyView Pro 100mm ED EQ has a focal length of 900mm which when used with the supplied 25mm eyepiece yields 900 mm 25 mm 36x The magnification provided by the 10mm eyepiece is 900 mm 10 mm 90x The maximum attainable magnification for a telescope is directly related to how much light it can gather The larger the aperture the more magnification is possible In general a fig ure of 2x per millimeter of aperture is the maximum attainable for most telescopes Your SkyView Pro 100mm ED EQ has an aperture of 100 millimeters so the maximum magnification would be about 200x This level of magnification assumes you have ideal conditions for viewing Keep in mind that as you increase magnification the bright ness of the object viewed will decrease this is an inherent principle of
12. of the equatorial mount to provide hands free tracking Objects will then remain stationary in the field of view without any manual adjustment of the right ascension slow motion control knob Understanding the Setting Circles The setting circles on an equatorial mount enable you to locate celestial objects by their celestial coordinates Every object resides in a specific location on the celestial sphere That location is denoted by two numbers its right ascension R A and declination Dec In the same way every loca tion on Earth can be described by its longitude and latitude Right ascension is similar to longitude on Earth and declina tion is similar to latitude The R A and Dec values for celestial objects can be found in any star atlas or star catalog The R A setting circle is scaled in hours from 1 through 24 with small marks in between representing 10 minute incre ments there are 60 minutes in 1 hour of right ascension The lower set of numbers apply to viewing in the Northern Hemisphere while the numbers above them apply to viewing in the Southern Hemisphere The location of the right ascen sion coordinate indicator arrow is shown in Figure 13 The Dec setting circle is scaled in degrees with each mark representing 2 increments Values of declination coordinates range from 90 to 90 The 0 mark indicates the celestial equator When the telescope is pointed north of the celestial equator va
13. the laws of physics and cannot be avoided If mag nification is doubled an image appears four times dimmer If magnification is tripled image brightness is reduced by a fac tor of nine Always start with your lowest power eyepiece and work your way up Start by centering the object being viewed in the 25mm eyepiece Then increase the magnification to get a closer view if you wish If the object is off center i e it is near the edge of the field of view you will lose it when you increase magnification since the field of view will be narrower with the higher powered eyepiece To change eyepieces first loosen the securing thumb screw on the 1 25 adapter on the star diagonal Then carefully lift the eyepiece out of the holder Do not tug or pull the eyepiece to the sides as this will knock the telescope off its target Replace the eyepiece with the new one by sliding it gently into the holder Re tighten the thumb screw and refocus for your new magnification Use of 2 Eyepieces A feature of the SkyView Pro 100mm ED EQ is its ability to use either 1 25 or 2 barrel diameter eyepieces At low magnifica tions 2 eyepieces can give a wider field of view than standard 1 25 eyepieces This is especially desirable for observing deep sky objects as many of them appear quite large but faint Many observers own at least one 2 eyepiece in order to achieve the widest field of view possible for deep sky observ ing The expansive view wi
14. 50 Naked eye view AIMAOAIJAJ ZAESTA View through the SkyView Pro 100mm ED EQ 9SpEZLY _VINYOST IV View through finder scope Figure 7 Images through the SkyView Pro 100mm ED EQ with its diagonal in place will be reversed from left to right Images through the finder scope will appear upside down and backwards rotated 180 while slowly rotating the focus knob in the opposite direction You should soon see the point at which focus is reached Note About the Crayford Focuser The SkyView Pro 100mm ED EQ comes equipped with a Crayford focuser The Crayford design allows for smooth precise focusing without any image shift that typical rack and pinion designs experience If you find that the focus knobs are too tight or too loose you can make adjustments to the focuser tension by using the focuser tension thumb screw located on the bottom of the focuser Make adjustments to this thumb screw until the focuser motion feels comfortable but you must have at least some tension applied to the focuser drawtube or else it will not move when you turn the focus knobs Viewing with Eyeglasses If you wear eyeglasses you may able to keep them on while you observe if the eyepiece has enough eye relief to allow you to see the entire field of view You can try this by look ing through the eyepiece first with your glasses on and then with them off and see if the glasses restrict the view to only a portion of the full field I
15. INSTRUCTION MANUAL Orion SkyView Pro 100mm ED EQ Equatorial Apochromatic Refractor Telescope 9977 Customer Support 800 676 1343 _ ORIONI E mail support telescope com TELESCOPES amp BINOCULARS Corporate Offices 831 763 7000 Providing Exceptional Consumer Optical Products Since 1975 89 Hangar Way Watsonville CA 95076 IN 248 REV C 01 09 Finder scope Finder scope bracket Tube rings a i Tube ring mounting plate Evepiece we Declination slow motion dki Ta a control knob Declination lock lever e ee Right ascension P y lock lever S v Right ascension slow 1 25 a Adapter 2 Star diagonal Focus knob motion control knob Counterweight shaft Counterweight Counterweight lock knob Latitude adjustment L bolts Toe saver Tripod support tray Figure 1 The SkyView Pro 100mm ED EQ Congratulations on your purchase of a quality Orion telescope Your new SkyView Pro 100mm ED EQ is an exceptional instrument for observing and imaging astronomical objects The ED glass of the objec tive lens ensures you ll enjoy star Moon and planetary images with far less color distortion than seen in standard refractors Other features such as the smooth Crayford focuser precision machined lens cell and deluxe aluminum focusing knobs also attest to the overall high quality of the telescope With the sturdy SkyView Pro equatorial mount you ll be able to enjoy steady v
16. a T ring for your particular camera model The T ring attaches to your particular camera model and threads onto the camera adapter coupling the camera body to the camera adapter The camera adapter connects to the telescope in place of the 2 star diagonal Remove the 2 diagonal by first loosening the two thumb screws on the focuser drawtube Insert the camera adapter with camera attached and secure with the drawtube s thumb screws Use the camera s viewfinder to frame the picture If you wish to rotate the field of view simply loosen the two thumb screws on the focuser drawtube and rotate the camera body Retighten the thumb screws once the desired orientation is achieved Use the telescope s focuser to focus the image Tighten the focuser tension thumb screw to make sure the camera does not slip out of focus You may want to consider using a remote shutter release instead of the shutter release on the camera Touching the camera can vibrate the system and blur the resulting photo graphic image Moon Photography This is perhaps the simplest form of astrophotography as no motor drive is required Point the telescope toward the Moon and center it within the camera s viewfinder Focus the image with the telescope s focuser Try several exposure times all less than 1 second depending on the phase of the moon and the ISO film speed of the film being used A remote shutter release is recommended as touching the camera s s
17. arrel of the star diagonal into the focuser and secure it with the thumb screws on the drawtube The star diagonal comes with a 1 25 adapter in it this part allows for use of 1 25 barrel diameter eyepieces in the 2 diameter diago nal see Figure 5 Make sure the 1 25 adapter is secure in the diagonal by tightening the thumb screw on the diagonal Loosen the thumb screw on the 1 25 adapter and insert the barrel of the 25mm eyepiece into it Secure the eyepiece with the thumb screw on the 1 25 adapter Focuser drawtube Thumb screws _ A Camera adapter _ i EN l a n Figure 4 Before installing the 2 star diagonal you must remove the camera adapter that comes attached to the telescope 1 25 Barrel diameter eyepiece 1 25 Adapter 2 Barrel diameter eyepiece optional 2 Star diagonal b Figure 5a and 5b a To use 1 25 barrel diameter eyepieces the 1 25 adapter must be installed in the 2 star diagonal b To use 2 eyepieces remove the 1 25 adapter Your telescope is now completely assembled and should appear as shown in Figure 1 4 Balancing the Telescope To ensure smooth movement of the telescope on both axes of the equatorial mount it is imperative that the optical tube is properly balanced We will first balance the telescope with respect to the right ascension R A axis then the declination Dec axis 1 Keeping one hand on the telescope optical tube loosen the R A
18. bracket unthread the two black nylon screws until the screw ends are flush with the inside diameter of the bracket Place the O ring that comes on the base of the bracket over the body of the finder scope until it seats into the slot on the middle of the finder scope Slide the eyepiece end narrow end of the finder scope into the end of the bracket s cylinder opposite the adjustment screws while pulling the chrome spring loaded tensioner on the bracket with your fingers Figure 3b Push the finder scope through the bracket until the O ring seats just inside the front opening of the bracket cylinder Release the tensioner and tighten the two black nylon screws a couple of turns each to secure the finder scope in place Insert the base of the finder scope bracket into the dovetail holder on top of the focuser Lock the bracket into position by tightening the knurled thumb screw on the dovetail holder Finder scope bracket Nylon alignment thumbscrews Finder scope Tensioner Focus lock ring Figure 3a The 8x40 finder scope Figure 3b Pull back on the tensioner and slide the finder scope into its bracket until the O ring is seated in the bracket ring Inserting the Diagonal and Eyepiece The SkyView Pro 100mm ED EQ comes with a camera adapt er attached to its focuser drawtube Loosen the two thumb screws securing the camera adapter to the focuser drawtube and remove the camera adapter see Figure 4 Insert the chrome b
19. d Objective lens coating Fully multi coated Objective lens diameter 100mm 3 9 Focal Length 900mm Focal Ratio f 9 0 Optical tube Seamless aluminum Lens cell Machined aluminum Focuser Crayford accepts 1 25 or 2 accessories and cam era T ring with adapter Eyepieces 25mm and 10mm Sirius Pldssls fully coated with multi coatings 1 25 accept Orion filters Magnification 36x with 25mm and 90x with 10mm Finder Scope 8x40 Achromatic 5 33 field of view cross hairs Mount SkyView Pro German equatorial Counterweight 7 5 Ibs Tripod legs Steel Tripod support tray Aluminum provides additional stability holds five 1 25 eyepiece and two 2 eyepieces Weight 40 lbs Mount 30 Ibs optical tube 10 Ibs Polar axis latitude adjustment 8 to 70 Polar axis finder Optional Motor Drives Optional 17 18 One Year Limited Warranty This Orion SkyView Pro 100mm ED EQ is warranted against defects in materials or workmanship for a period of one year from the date of purchase This warranty is for the benefit of the original retail pur chaser only During this warranty period Orion Telescopes amp Binoculars will repair or replace at Orion s option any warranted instrument that proves to be defective provided it is returned postage paid to Orion Warranty Repair 89 Hangar Way Watsonville CA 95076 If the product is not registered proof of purchase such as a copy of the original invoice i
20. e trying to find a needle in a haystack 13 Once you ve centered the object in the eyepiece you can switch to higher magnification shorter focal length eyepiece if you wish This is especially recommended for small and bright objects like planets and double stars The Moon also takes higher magnifications well Deep sky objects however typically look better at medium or low magnifications This is because many of them are quite faint yet have some extent apparent width Deep sky objects will often disappear at higher magnifications since greater magnification inherently yields dimmer images This is not the case for all deep sky objects however Many galax ies are quite small yet are somewhat bright so higher power may show more detail The best rule of thumb with eyepiece selection is to start with a low power wide field and then work your way up in magnification If the object looks better try an even higher magnification If the object looks worse then back off the magnification a little by using a lower power eyepiece Astronomical Objects Now that you are all set up and ready to go one critical deci sion must be made what to look at A The Moon With its rocky and cratered surface the Moon is one of the most interesting and easy subjects to view with your scope The best time to view it is during its partial phases when shadows fall on the craters and canyon walls to give them definition While the full
21. e until it is pointing straight overhead The counterweight shaft is still horizontal Then retighten both lock levers What if you need to aim the telescope directly north but at an object that is nearer to the horizon than Polaris You can t do it with the counterweight down as pictured in Figure 1 Again you have to rotate the scope in right ascension so that the counterweight shaft is positioned horizontally Then rotate the scope in declination so it points to where you want it near the horizon To point the telescope directly south the counterweight shaft should again be horizontal Then you simply rotate the scope on the declination axis until it points in the south direction Figure 14a d This illustration shows the telescope pointed in the four cardinal directions a north b south c east d west Note that the tripod and mount have not been moved only the telescope tube has been moved on the R A and Dec axes To point the telescope to the east or west or in other direc tions you rotate the telescope on its right ascension and declination axes Depending on the altitude of the object you want to observe the counterweight shaft will be oriented somewhere between vertical and horizontal Figure 14 illustrates how the telescope will look when pointed at the four cardinal directions north south east and west 7 Astronomical Observing For many users the SkyView Pro 100mm ED EQ telescope will be a major
22. f they do you can easily observe with your glasses off by just re focusing the telescope the needed amount If you suffer from severe astigmatism however you may find images noticeably sharper with your glasses on Aligning the Finder Scope The SkyView Pro 100mm ED EQ comes with a 8x40 achromat ic finder scope Figure 3a The number 8 means eight times magnification and the 40 indicates a 40mm diameter objective lens The finder scope makes it easier to locate the object you want to observe in the telescope because the finder scope has a much wider field of view The finder scope uses a spring loaded bracket that makes alignment of the finder scope very easy As you turn either of the thumb screws the spring in the bracket s tensioner moves in and out to keep the finder scope secure in the bracket The finder scope must be aligned accurately with the tele scope for proper use To align it first aim the main telescope at an object at least a 1 4 mile away the top of a telephone pole a chimney etc First loosen the R A and Dec lock levers and move the telescope until it is pointing towards the desired object Then sight along the tube to precisely aim the telescope Turn the focus knob until the object is properly focused Make sure to position the object in the center of the telescope s eye piece by turning the R A and declination slow motion control knobs the R A and Dec lock levers must be tightened to use the slow moti
23. he reticle of the polar axis finder scope for the SkyView Pro has a tiny star map printed on it that makes precise polar alignment quick and easy If you do not have a clear view of Polaris from your observing site you will not be able to use the polar axis finder to precisely polar align the telescope To align the mount using the polar axis finder scope follow these instructions Wi Figure 12 The optical tube must be at a 90 angle to the right ascension axis in order to view through the polar axis finder 10 1 Approximately polar align the mount as outlined in the pro cedure above 2 Loosen the Dec lock lever and rotate the optical tube on the declination axis so that the tube is at a 90 to the right ascension axis Figure 12 This is so you can view through the mount with the polar axis finder Tighten the Dec lock lever 3 Remove the cap on the front of the equatorial mount Figure 8 and focus the polar finder by rotating the eyepiece 4 Now sight Polaris in the polar axis finder scope If you have followed the approximate polar alignment procedure accurately Polaris will probably be within the field of view If not move the tripod left to right and adjust the latitude up and down until Polaris is somewhere within the field of view of the polar axis finder scope 5 Shine a red flashlight down the front end of the polar finder to illuminate the reticle within the field of view Make sure the flashlight sh
24. henever light passes through one material to another light of differ ent wavelengths color is bent by different amounts This is a problem that plagues refractor type telescopes since light passes through both air and glass to form an image Most R A setting circle Polar axis finder scope optional Latitude scale opposite side Latitude adjustment L bolts astronomical objects emit a spectrum comprised of many dif ferent wavelengths of light so each wavelength will be bent by a slightly different amount when passing through a lens This results in each color of light reaching precise focus at a slightly different point which will provide unacceptable images The 100mm ED is designed to minimize chromatic aberra tion The objective lens is actually comprised of two individual lenses called elements one of which is made of ED Extra low Dispersion glass a special type of glass that has superior refractive properties when compared to normal types of optical glass The use of this ED glass minimizes the amount of chro matic aberration resulting in a much more pleasing view when compared to telescopes that do not use ED glass 6 Setting Up and Using the Equatorial Mount When you look at the night sky you no doubt have noticed that the stars appear to move slowly from east to west over time That apparent motion is caused by the Earth s rotation from west to east An equatorial mount Figure 8 is desig
25. ht twisting motion on the optical tube while you push or pull on it Figure 6c 6 Position the telescope in the mounting rings so it remains horizontal when you carefully let go with both hands This is the balance point for the optical tube with respect to the Dec axis Figure 6d 7 Retighten the tube ring clamps The telescope is now balanced on both axes When you loos en the lock lever on one or both axes and manually point the telescope it should move without resistance and should not drift from where you point it 5 Using Your Telescope This section will get you used to the functions and features of your new telescope Focusing the Telescope With the 25mm eyepiece inserted in the diagonal move the telescope so the front open end is pointing in the general direction of an object at least 1 4 mile away Now with your fingers slowly rotate one of the focus knobs until the object comes into sharp focus Go a little bit beyond sharp focus until the image just starts to blur again then reverse the rotation of the knob just to make sure you ve hit the exact focus point Note The image in the telescope will appear reversed left to right This is normal for astronomical telescopes that utilize a star diagonal The finder scope view will be rotated 180 Figure 7 If you have trouble focusing rotate the focus knob so the draw tube is in as far as it will go Now look through the eyepiece CALIFORNIA A1234
26. hutter release can vibrate the camera enough to ruin the exposure Planetary Photography Once basic Moon photography has been mastered it s time to get images of the planets This type of astrophotography also works to get highly magnified shots of the Moon In addi tion to the T ring you will need an optional Universal 1 25 Camera Adapter The True Track Motor Drive System single or dual axis is also required This is because a longer expo sure is necessary which would cause the image to blur if no motor drive was used for tracking The equatorial mount must be accurately polar aligned too As before connect the T ring to your camera Before connect ing the universal camera adapter to the T ring an eyepiece must be inserted and locked into the body of the universal camera adapter Start by using a medium low power eyepiece about 25mm you can increase the magnification later with a higher power eyepiece Then connect the entire camera adapter with eyepiece inside to the T ring Insert the whole system into the focuser with the camera adapter that comes with the telescope attached to the drawtube and secure firm ly with the thumb screws Aim the telescope at the planet or Moon you wish to shoot The image will be highly magnified so you may need to use the finder scope to center it within the camera s viewfinder Turn the motor drive on Adjust the telescope s focuser so that the image appears sharp in the camera
27. iago nal first remove the 2 diagonal from the focuser drawtube by loosening the two thumb screws on the drawtube Now place the camera adapter that came attached to the tele scope see Figure 4 into the focuser drawtube and secure it with the two thumb screws on the drawtube Now place the correct image diagonal into the camera adapter and secure it with the thumb screw on the camera adapter Place an eye piece into the diagonal secure it with the thumb screw on the diagonal and you re ready for daytime viewing An optional altazimuth mount or a sturdy camera tripod as opposed to the SkyView Pro equatorial mount is recom mended for terrestrial viewing This is because the equatorial mount is designed for tracking the motion of stars and is not easy to aim at terrestrial objects For terrestrial viewing it s best to stick with low power eye pieces that yield a magnification of under 100x At higher 15 powers images rapidly lose sharpness and clarity due to heat waves caused by Sun heated air Remember to aim well clear of the Sun unless the front of the telescope is fitted with a professionally made solar filter and the finder scope is covered by an opaque material or removed altogether 9 Astrophotography With the included camera adapter the SkyView Pro 100mm ED becomes a 900mm f 9 telephoto lens for a single lens reflex camera For long distance terrestrial or astronomical photography you need only
28. iewing of thousands of the night sky s fascinating celestial targets These instructions will help you set up properly use and care for your telescope Please read them over thoroughly before getting started Table of Contents 1 Unpacking 2s60 he cteweviae nace ch 3 2 POMS IGG oes e ee ha a es tw eX 3 3 Assembly 2ciccuehaddu saeeatee hee 3 4 Balancing the Telescope 5 5 Using Your Telescope 6 6 Setting Up and Using the Equatorial Mount 8 7 Astronomical Observing 12 8 Terrestrial Observing 15 9 Astrophotography 16 10 Care and Maintenance 17 11 Specifications noana nananana 17 WARNING Never look directly at the Sun through your telescope or its finder scope even for an instant without a professionally made solar filter that completely covers the front of the instrument or permanent eye damage could result Young children should use this telescope only with adult supervision 1 Unpacking The SkyView Pro 100mm ED EQ will arrive in one box be care ful unpacking the box We recommend keeping the box and all original packaging In the event that the telescope needs to be shipped to another location or returned to Orion for warranty repair having the proper box and packaging will help ensure that your telescope will survive the journey intact Make sure all the parts in the Parts
29. if necessary Now connect the camera to the piggyback adapter There should be a 1 4 20 mounting hole in the bottom of the camera s body Thread the protruding shaft of the piggyback adapter into the 1 4 20 mounting hole in the camera a few turns Position the camera so it is paral lel with the telescope tube and turn the knurled black knob of the piggyback adapter counter clockwise until the camera is locked into position Aim the telescope at a deep sky object It should be a fairly large deep sky object as the camera lens will likely have a wide field of view Check to make sure that the object is also centered in the camera s viewfinder Turn the motor drive on Now look into the telescope s eyepiece and center the bright est star within the field of view Remove the eyepiece and insert the illuminated reticle eyepiece into the focuser draw tube Turn the eyepiece s illuminator on dimly Recenter the bright star guide star on the crosshairs of the reticle eyepiece Check again to make sure that the object to be pho tographed is still centered within the camera s field of view If it is not recenter it by repositioning the camera on the piggy back adapter or by moving the main telescope If you move the main telescope then you will need to recenter another 16 guide star on the illuminated eyepiece s crosshairs Once the object is centered in the camera and a guide star is centered in the reticle eyepiece you
30. il Other planets may be vis ible but will likely appear starlike Because planets are quite small in apparent size optional higher power eyepieces are recommended and often needed for detailed observations Not all the planets are generally visible at any one time JUPITER The largest planet Jupiter is a great subject for observation You can see the disk of the giant planet and watch the ever changing positions of its four largest moons lo Callisto Europa and Ganymede Higher power eyepieces should bring out the cloud bands on the planet s disk SATURN The ringed planet is a breathtaking sight The tilt angle of the rings varies over a period of many years some times they are seen edge on while at other times they are broadside and look like giant ears on each side of Saturn s disk A steady atmosphere good seeing is necessary for a good view Look closely and you may see the Cassini divi sion a thin dark gap in the rings You should also see one or more of Saturn s moons which look like faint stars The brightest is the moon Titan VENUS At its brightest Venus is the most luminous object in the sky excluding the Sun and the Moon It is so bright that sometimes it is visible to the naked eye during full daylight lronically Venus appears as a thin crescent not a full disk when at its peak brightness Because it is so close to the Sun it never wanders too far from the morning or evening horizon No surface
31. ines in at an angle so as not to block the polar finder s field of view It may be helpful to have a friend hold the flashlight while you look through the polar finder Note the constellation Cassiopeia and the Big Dipper in the reticle They do not appear in scale but they indicate the general positions of Cassiopeia and the Big Dipper relative to the north celestial pole which is indicated by the cross at the center of the reticle Rotate the reticle so the constellations depicted match their current orientation in they sky when viewed with the naked eye To do this release the R A lock lever and rotate the main telescope around the R A axis until the reticle is oriented with sky For larger optical tubes you may need to remove the tube from the mount to prevent it from bumping into the mount Once the reticle is correctly oriented use the right ascen sion lock lever to secure the mount s position 6 Now use the azimuth adjustment knobs Figure 10 and the latitude adjustment L bolts Figure 8 on the mount to position the star Polaris inside the tiny circle marked Polaris on the finder s reticle You must first loosen the knob underneath the equatorial mount on the center sup port shaft to use the azimuth adjustment knobs Once Polaris is properly positioned within the reticle you are precisely polar aligned Retighten the knob underneath the equatorial mount From this point on in your observing session you should not
32. ll make you feel like you re floating in space To use 2 eyepieces simply loosen the thumb screw on the star diagonal that secures the 1 25 adapter and remove the adapter Insert a 2 eyepiece directly into the diagonal and secure it in place with the thumb screw on the diagonal You are now ready to observe with the 2 eyepiece If you attempt to place a 2 eyepiece directly into the focuser drawtube with out using the star diagonal images will not come into focus If you wish to view with 2 eyepieces without using the diagonal you will need to purchase an optional 2 extension tube Use of 1 25 Eyepieces without a Diagonal The SkyView Pro 100mm ED can use 1 25 eyepieces with out a 90 star diagonal if desired Viewing straight through the telescope may be more comfortable for observing objects low on the horizon When viewing straight through the telescope without a diagonal the view will be oriented the same as the finder scope rotated 180 see Figure 7 To use a 1 25 eyepiece without a diagonal remove the 2 diagonal by first loosening the two thumb screws on the fo cuser drawtube Insert the camera adapter and secure it by tightening the drawtube s thumb screws Loosen the thumb screw on the camera adapter and insert the barrel of a 1 25 eyepiece into it Secure the eyepiece with the thumb screw on the camera adapter Note About Chromatic Aberration Chromatic aberration literally means color distortion W
33. lues of the declination setting circle are positive when the telescope is pointed south of the celestial equator values of the declination setting circle are negative So the coordinates for the Orion Nebula listed in a star atlas will look like this R A 5h 35 4m Dec 5 27 That s 5 hours and 35 4 minutes in right ascension and 5 degrees and 27 arc minutes in declination there are 60 arc Dec setting gt circle VA f Dec setting circle thumbscrew 2 Dec indicator arrow R A indicator arrow R A setting circle thumbscrew 2 Figure 13 The RA and Dec setting circles R A setting circle el eae aac 8 bes ae minutes in 1 degree of declination Before you can use the setting circles to locate objects the mount must be accurately polar aligned and the setting cir cles must be calibrated Calibrating the Declination Setting Circle 1 Loosen the Dec lock lever and position the telescope as accurately as possible in declination so it is parallel to the R A axis as shown in Figure 1 Re tighten the lock lever 2 Loosen one of the thumb screws on the Dec setting circle this will allow the setting circle to rotate freely Rotate the Dec setting circle until the pointer reads exactly 90 Re tighten the setting circle thumb screw 11 Calibrating the Right Ascension Setting Circle 1 Identify a bright star in the sky near the celestial equa to
34. ned to compen sate for that motion allowing you to easily track the movement of astronomical objects thereby keeping them from drifting out of your telescope s field of view while you re observing This is accomplished by slowly rotating the telescope on its right ascension R A axis using only the R A slow motion knob But first the R A axis of the mount must be aligned with the Earth s rotational polar axis a process called polar alignment Polar Alignment For Northern Hemisphere observers approximate polar align ment is achieved by pointing the mount s right ascension axis at the North Star or Polaris It lies within 1 of the north celes tial pole NCP which is an extension of the Earth s rotational axis out into space Stars in the Northern Hemisphere appear to revolve around the NCP Dec slow motion control knob Dec setting circle Dec lock lever Front opening R A lock lever R A slow motion control knob Figure 8 The SkyView Pro mount Little Dipper in Ursa Minor Big Dipper N C P S in Ursa Major yy wer Polaris Cassiopeia Figure 9 To find Polaris in the night sky look north and find the Big Dipper Extend an imaginary line from the two Pointer Stars in the bowl of the Big Dipper Go about five times the distance between those stars and you ll reach Polaris which lies within 1 of the north celestial pole NCP To
35. ng objects Beginners are often surprised to discover that the deep sky objects they see through the eyepiece of a telescope are mostly grayish not colorful like those you see in long exposure photographs The reason is that our eyes are not sensitive to color in faint light Still there is something very 14 special about seeing an astronomical object in real time with your own eyes live if not in living color How to Find Deep sky Objects Starhopping Starhopping as it is called by astronomers is perhaps the simplest way to hunt down objects to view in the night sky It entails first pointing the telescope at a star close to the object you wish to observe and then progressing to other stars closer and closer to the object until it is in the field of view of the eyepiece It is a very intuitive technique that has been employed for hundreds of years by professional and amateur astronomers alike Keep in mind as with any new task that starhopping may seem challenging at first but will become easier over time and with practice To starhop only a minimal amount of additional equipment is necessary A star chart or atlas that shows stars to at least magnitude 5 is required Select one that shows the positions of many deep sky objects so you will have a lot of options to choose from If you do not know the positions of the constel lations in the night sky you will need to get a planisphere to identify them Start by
36. olar axis finder scope remove the cover at the rear of the mount s right ascension axis Figure 11b and thread the polar axis finder scope into the equatorial mount until tight 9 Alignment of the Polar Axis Finder Scope 1 Look through the polar finder at a distant object during the day and center it in the crosshairs You may need to adjust the latitude adjustment L bolts and the tripod posi tion to do this 2 Rotate the mount 180 about the R A axis Again it may be convenient to remove the counterweights and optical tube first 3 Look through the polar finder again Is the object being viewed still centered on the crosshairs If it is then no further adjustment is necessary If not then look through the polar finder while rotating the mount about the R A axis You will notice that the object you have previously centered moves in a circular path Use the three align ment setscrews on the polar axis finder to redirect the crosshairs of the polar finder to the apparent center of this circular path 4 Repeat this procedure until the position that the cross hairs point to does not rotate off center when the mount is rotated in R A Once this is accomplished retighten the thumbscrews The polar axis finder scope is now ready to be used When not in use replace the plastic protective cover to prevent the polar finder from getting bumped which could knock it out of alignment Using the Polar Axis Finder Scope T
37. on control knobs Now look in the finder scope Is the object visible Ideally it will be somewhere in the field of view If not some coarse adjust ment to the finder scope bracket s alignment thumb screws will be needed until the object comes into the finder scope s field of view With the image in the finder scope s field of view you now need to fine adjust the alignment thumb screws to center the object on the intersection of the crosshairs Adjust the aim of the finder scope by turning the thumb screws one at a time until the object is centered Make sure the object is still cen tered in the telescope s eyepiece as well If it isn t you will need to repeat the entire process The finder scope alignment needs to be checked before every observing session This can easily be done at night before viewing through the telescope Choose any bright star or plan et center the object in telescope eyepiece and then adjust the finder scope bracket s alignment thumb screws until the star or planet is centered on the finder s crosshairs Focusing the Finder Scope If when you look through the finder scope the images appear somewhat out of focus you will need to refocus the find er scope for your eyes Loosen the focus lock ring located behind the objective lens cell on the body of the finder scope see Figure 3a Back the lock ring off by a few turns for now Refocus the finder scope on a distant object by threading the
38. orage in a garage or shed is OK Small components like eyepieces and other accessories should be kept in a protective box or storage case Keep the dust cover on the front of the telescope when not in use Your SkyView Pro 100mm ED EQ requires very little mechan ical maintenance The optical tube is aluminum and has a smooth painted finish that is fairly scratch resistant If a scratch does appear on the tube it will not harm the tele scope Smudges on the tube can be wiped off with a soft cloth and a household surface cleaner Cleaning Lenses Any quality optical lens cleaning tissue and optical lens clean ing fluid specifically designed for multi coated optics can be used to clean the exposed lenses of your telescope s objec tive lens eyepieces or finder scope Never use regular glass cleaner or cleaning fluid designed for eyeglasses Before cleaning with fluid and tissue blow any loose particles off the lens with a blower bulb or compressed air Then apply some cleaning fluid to a tissue never directly on the optics Wipe the lens gently in a circular motion then remove any excess fluid with a fresh lens tissue Oily fingerprints and smudges may be removed using this method Use caution rubbing too hard may scratch the lens On larger lenses clean only a small area at a time using a fresh lens tissue on each area Never reuse tissues 11 Specifications Objective lens Apochromatic rear element made of ED glass air space
39. p the center support shaft until it is tight against the tray The tripod support tray provides addi tional stability for the tripod and holds five 1 25 eyepiec es and two 2 eyepieces 5 Thread the latitude adjustment L bolts into the equatorial mount where shown in Figure 1 Thread one L bolt in about halfway then thread the other L bolt in until tight 6 Thread the counterweight shaft into the equatorial mount at the base of the declination axis until tight Make sure the cast ing atthe top of the shaft is threaded counter clockwise as far as it will go before attaching the shaft Once the shaft is installed turn the casting clockwise until the top of the casting is flush with the mount 7 Remove the knurled toe saver retaining screw on the bot tom of the counterweight shaft and slide the counterweight onto the shaft Make sure the counterweight lock knob is adequately loosened to allow the counterweight shaft to pass through the hole Position the counterweight about halfway up the shaft and tighten the lock knob Replace the toe saver at the end of the bar The toe saver prevents the counterweight from falling on your foot if the lock knob hap pens to come loose 8 Attach the slow motion control knobs to the right ascension and declination worm gear shafts of the equatorial mount by sliding them onto the shafts Line up the flat surface on the shaft with the corresponding feature on the interior of the knob to connec
40. r declination 0 and look up its coordinates in a star atlas 2 Loosen the R A and Dec lock levers on the equatorial mount so the telescope optical tube can move freely 3 Point the telescope at the bright star whose coordinates you know Center the star in the telescope s field of view Lock the R A and Dec lock levers 4 Loosen one of the R A setting circle thumb screws see Figure 13 this will allow the setting circle to rotate freely Rotate the setting circle until the R A pointer arrow indi cates the R A coordinate listed in the star atlas for the object Retighten the setting circle thumb screw Finding Objects With the Setting Circles Now that both setting circles are calibrated look up in a star atlas the coordinates of an object you wish to view 1 Loosen the Dec lock lever and rotate the telescope until the declination value from the star atlas matches the read ing on the Dec setting circle Remember that values of the Dec setting circle are positive when the telescope is point ing north of the celestial equator Dec 0 and negative when the telescope is pointing south of the celestial equa tor Retighten the lock lever 2 Loosen the R A lock lever and rotate the telescope until the right ascension value from the star atlas matches the read ing on the R A setting circle Remember to use the lower set of numbers on the R A setting circle Retighten the lock lever Most setting circles a
41. r chart and find another suitably bright star near the bright star cur rently centered in the finder Keep in mind that the field of view of the finder scope is approximately 5 so you should choose another star that is no more that 5 from the first star if possible Move the telescope slightly until the telescope is centered on the new star Continue using stars as guideposts in this way until you are at the approximate position of the object you are trying to find Figure 16 Look in the telescope s eyepiece and the object should be somewhere within the field of view If it s not sweep the telescope carefully around the immediate vicinity until the object is found If you have trouble finding the object start the starhop again from the brightest star near the object you wish to view This time be sure the stars indicated on the star chart are in fact the stars you are centering in the eyepiece Remember the finder scope and main telescope eyepiece for that matter gives an inverted image so you must keep this in mind when starhopping from star to star 8 Terrestrial Observing The SkyView Pro 100mm ED optical tube can be used for long distance viewing over land For this we recommend using an optional 1 25 45 correct image diagonal instead of the provided 2 90 mirror star diagonal The correct image diagonal will yield non reversed images and provides a more comfortable viewing angle To install the correct image d
42. r remove any lens assembly from its housing for any reason or the product warranty and return policy will be voided 1 Stand the tripod legs upright and spread the legs out as far as they will go Keep the tripod legs at their shortest fully retracted length for now you can extend them to a more desirable length later after the scope is fully assembled 2 Place the base of the equatorial mount into the tripod head Orient the equatorial mount so that the post on the tripod head lines up with the azimuth adjustment knobs on the equatorial mount Figure 2 You may need to loosen the azimuth adjustment knobs on the equatorial mount in order to fit the mount onto the tripod head Azimuth adjustment Post Figure 2 Orient the equatorial mount so that the post on the tripod head lines up with the azimuth adjustment knobs on the equatorial mount 3 Thread the central support shaft into the equatorial mount until tight This will secure the equatorial mount to the tri pod head 4 Remove the knob and washer from the bottom of the cen ter support shaft Slide the tripod support tray up the bot tom of the central support shaft until the three tray arms are touching the legs of the tripod The flat side of the accesso ry tray should be facing up Make sure the V of each tray arm is against a tripod leg Place the washer back on the center support shaft against the tray and thread the secur ing knob all the way u
43. re not accurate enough to put an object dead center in the telescope s eyepiece but they should place the object somewhere within the field of view of the finder scope assuming the equatorial mount is accurately polar aligned Use the slow motion controls to center the object in the finder scope and it should appear in the telescope s field of view The setting circles must be re calibrated every time you wish to locate a new object Do so by calibrating the setting circles for the centered object before moving on to the next one Confused About Pointing the Telescope Beginners occasionally experience some confusion about how to point the telescope overhead or in other directions In Figure 1 the telescope is pointed north as it would be during polar alignment The counterweight shaft is oriented down ward But it will not look like that when the telescope is pointed in other directions Let s say you want to view an object that is directly overhead at the zenith How do you do it DO NOT make any adjustment to the latitude adjustment L bolts That will spoil the mount s polar alignment Remember once the mount is polar aligned the telescope should be moved only on the R A and Dec axes To point the scope overhead first loosen the R A lock lever and rotate the tele scope on the right ascension axis until the counterweight shaft is horizontal parallel to the ground Then loosen the Dec lock lever and rotate the telescop
44. re ready to shoot Deep sky objects are quite faint and typically require expo sures on the order of 10 minutes To hold the camera s shutter open this long you will need a locking shutter release cable Set the camera s shutter to the B bulb setting Depress the locking shutter release cable and lock it You are now expos ing your first deep sky object While exposing through the camera lens you will need to monitor the accuracy of the mount s tracking by looking through the illuminated reticle eyepiece in the main telescope If the guide star drifts from its initial position then use the hand controller of the motor drive to move the guide star back to the center of the crosshairs Any drifting along the Dec axis is a result of improper polar alignment so if the guide star drifts greatly in Dec the mount may need to be polar aligned more accurately When the exposure is complete unlock the shutter release cable and close the camera s shutter Astrophotography can be enjoyable and rewarding as well as frustrating and time consuming Start slowly and consult outside resources such as books and magazines for more details about astrophotography Remember have fun 10 Care and Maintenance If you give your telescope reasonable care it will last a life time Store it in a clean dry dust free place safe from rapid changes in temperature and humidity Do not store the tele scope outdoors although st
45. s required This warranty does not apply if in Orion s judgment the instrument has been abused mishandled or modified nor does it apply to normal wear and tear This warranty gives you specific legal rights and you may also have other rights which vary from state to state For further warranty service information contact Customer Service Department Orion Telescopes amp Binoculars 89 Hangar Way Watsonville CA 95076 800 676 1343 Orion Telescopes amp Binoculars 89 Hangar Way Watsonville CA 95076 Customer Support Help Line 800 676 1343 Day or Evening
46. sired target Do this by loosening the R A and Dec lock levers and moving the telescope about the mount s right ascension and declination axes Once the telescope is pointed close to the object to be viewed retighten both lock levers Note If you have an optional motor drive attached you will need to loosen the manual clutch on the R A and Dec for dual axis drives worm gear shaft before using the slow motion control knob The object should now be visible somewhere in the tele scope s finder scope If it isn t use the slow motion knobs to scan the surrounding area of sky When the object is visible in the finder scope use the slow motion knobs to center it Now look in the telescope s eyepiece If the finder scope is prop erly aligned the object should be visible somewhere in the field of view Once the object is visible in the eyepiece use the slow motion knobs to center it in the field of view Tracking Celestial Objects When you observe a celestial object through the telescope you ll see it drift slowly across the field of view To keep it in the field if your equatorial mount is polar aligned just turn the R A slow motion control knob clockwise The Dec slow motion control knob is not needed for tracking Objects will appear to move faster at higher magnifications because the field of view is narrower Optional Motor Drives for Automatic Tracking An optional DC motor drive can be mounted on the R A axis
47. t before adjusting these knobs 3 Loosen the Dec lock lever and rotate the telescope s optical tube until it is parallel with the right ascension axis as it is in Figure 8 4 Move the tripod so the telescope tube and right ascension axis point roughly at Polaris If you cannot see Polaris direct ly from your observing site consult a compass and rotate the tripod so the telescope points north There is a label bearing a large N at the base of the equatorial mount Figure 10 it should be facing north The equatorial mount is now polar aligned for casual observing More precise polar alignment is recommended for astropho tography For this we suggest using the optional polar axis finder scope From this point on in your observing session you should not make any further adjustments to the latitude of the mount nor should you move the tripod Doing so will undo the polar align ment The telescope should be moved only about its R A and Dec axes Objective lens Focus lock ring Eyepiece focus ring Alignment setscrews 3 E pa Figure 11b Installing the optional polar axis finder scope Polar Alignment Using an Optional Polar Axis Finder Scope The SkyView Pro 100mm ED EQ mount can be equipped with an optional polar axis finder scope Figure 11a which goes inside the right ascension axis of the mount When properly aligned and used it makes accurate polar alignment quick and easy to do To install the p
48. t them properly The knobs can be attached to either end of the shafts use whichever end is most convenient 9 Attach the tube mounting rings to the tube ring mounting plate using the attachment screws that are on the tube rings The screws should go through the holes on the outer ends of the mounting plate and rethread into the tube rings Note that the side of the mounting plate with the central groove will be facing up Use the small crescent wrench to secure the tube rings to the mounting plate 10 Loosen the black mounting plate securing knob as well as the metal safety screw on the top of the equatorial mount Place the tube ring mounting plate with the tube rings attached in the dovetail slot on top of the equatorial mount Position the mounting plate so that it is centered on the dovetail slot Re tighten the mounting plate securing knob until the mounting plate is secure Then tighten the safety screw The safety screw will ensure that the mounting plate and telescope tube will not fall off the EQ mount ifthe mounting plate securing knob should come loose 11 Lay the telescope optical tube in the tube rings at about the midpoint of the tube s length Rotate the optical tube so that the focus knobs are pointed down Close the rings over the tube and tighten the knurled ring clamps finger tight to secure the telescope in position Installing the Finder Scope To place the finder scope Figure 3a in the finder scope
49. views at high magnifications will not appear sharp If the stars appear steady and do not twinkle seeing conditions are probably good and higher magnifications will be possible Also seeing conditions are typically poor during the day This is because the heat from the Sun warms the air and causes turbulence Good transparency is especially important for observ ing faint objects It simply means the air is free of moisture smoke and dust All tend to scatter light which reduces an object s brightness One good way to tell if conditions are good is by how many stars you can see with your naked eye If you cannot see stars of magnitude 3 5 or dimmer then conditions are poor for observing faint objects Magnitude is a measure of how bright a star is the brighter a star is the lower its magnitude will be A good star to remember for this is Megrez mag 3 4 which is the star in the Big Dipper connecting the handle to the dipper If you cannot see Megrez then you have fog haze clouds smog light pollution or other conditions that are hindering your viewing see Figure 15 Big Dipper in Ursa Major MEGREZ MAGNITUDES Figure 15 Megrez connects the Big Dipper s handle to it s pan It is a good guide to how conditions are If you can not see Megrez a 3 4 mag star then conditions are poor for observing faint objects Cooling the Telescope All optical instruments need time to reach thermal
50. you begin observing To see what you are doing in the darkness use a red filtered flashlight rather than white light Red light does not spoil your eyes dark adaptation like white light does A flashlight with a red LED light is ideal or you can cover the front of a regular incandescent flashlight with red cellophane or paper Beware too that nearby porch and streetlights and automobile head lights will spoil your night vision Eyepiece Selection By using eyepieces of varying focal lengths it is possible to attain many magnifications with the SkyView Pro 100mm ED EQ The telescope comes with two high quality Sirius Plossl eyepieces a 25mm which gives a magnification of 36x and a 10mm which gives a magnification of 90x Other eyepieces can be used to achieve higher or lower powers It is quite com mon for an observer to own five or more eyepieces to access a wide range of magnifications This allows the observer to choose the best eyepiece to use depending on the object being viewed At least to begin with the two supplied eye pieces will suffice nicely Whatever you choose to view always start by inserting your lowest power longest focal length eyepiece to locate and center the object Low magnification yields a wide field of view which shows a larger area of sky in the eyepiece This makes acquiring and centering an object much easier If you try to find and center objects with high power narrow field of view it s lik
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